Johnny Depp has finally won his libel case against Amber Heard! The jury ruled that he was defamed and awarded him $15million. The actor and his ex-wife Heard were both found liable for defamation and awarded damages by a US jury, concluding a closely watched intense trial over domestic abuse allegations.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard Case Explained
Johnny Depp filed a $50-million defamation lawsuit in 2019 against his ex-wife Amber Heard based on a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post calling herself ‘a public figure representing domestic abuse.’ In the op-ed, she did not mention Depp by name but was oriented around the time Heard first accused the actor of domestic violence. The trial was held in Virginia because that is where the Post’s servers are located.
However, in 2021, Amber Heard countersued her ex-husband for $100 million, an amount that Heard’s closing arguments revealed to be about sending a message. Both cases have been unfolding in court simultaneously. Heard’s defamation claim pertains to public statements made by Depp’s former attorney, Waldman, that dismissed her allegations of domestic violence as a ‘hoax.’ The trial has been broadcast and live-streamed via CourtTV and other outlets, including YouTube accounts.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard: The Allegation
In the past few years, bitter claims and counterclaims headlined the high-profile trial of the two well known Hollywood celebrities. Heard, in her testimony, said Depp was physically and verbally abusive, and also accused him of s*xual violence. While Depp too accused Heard of domestic abuse. Both had denied the allegations made by the other.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard: The Evidence
Since the turbulent trial started on April 11, Depp has called 38 witnesses while Heard’s team called 24. Both Depp and Heard gave evidence for four days each including a forensic cross-examination from the opposition lawyers. After that, they both returned to the witness stand to testify a second time. The jury saw dozens of texts, photos, videos, medical records and even pages from the former couple’s ‘Love Journal’ they hand wrote to each other.
The libel case was so complicated that the verdict sheet had 42 questions the jury had to answer before delivering the verdict: 24 questions for Depp’s claims and 18 for Heard’s counterclaim, as per DailyMail. A verdict form is used to formalize the jury’s decision on the case. The court heard clips of recordings that Depp and Heard made during their arguments, some of their most intimate moments that were played back for the world years later in the most public setting imaginable.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard Verdict
The decision from a jury of five men and two women came after nearly 13 hours of deliberation spanning three days. The turbulent defamation trial started on April 11, 2022, and took place over the past six weeks. However, in Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard verdict, the Aquaman actress was awarded $2million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex-husband.
Meanwhile, Heard was awarded zero dollars in punitive damages. Despite the jury awarding Depp $15million, the judge reduced the $5million punitive damages award to the Virginia maximum of $350,000. In total Depp walks away with $8.35million in damages.
Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard: Reaction
Johnny Depp has won the defamation trial and his fans are on cloud none. The actor also expressed his happiness after Wednesday’s verdict. Meanwhile, Amber Heard showed her disappointment in a lengthy note.
ALSO READ – Johnny Depp WINS Defamation Trial Against Amber Heard- Read Jury Verdict!